A Consistent Ethic of Life 2.0

A Dec. 11 symposium on Cardinal Bernardin’s “seamless garment” speech 35 years later

In December 1983, at Fordham University, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago delivered a landmark lecture outlining what he called a “consistent ethic of life” – using the Catholic tradition to articulate a defense of life at every stage rather than focusing solely on abortion, and in a way that could cross religious and political boundaries.

Yet Bernardin’s “seamless garment” approach sparked controversy, angering many moral conservatives and creating more divisions than unity. Bernardin’s idea seemed to founder after his death in 1996.

But Pope Francis has given new life to the consistent ethic, and this symposium will examine how the “seamless garment” looks in 2018, and how it resonates with other faith traditions and in U.S. society.